Frank Olivier’s Twisted Cabaret – My Twisted Valentine (Hale’s Palladium)

Are you tired of the same old milquetoast, bland and inoffensive entertainment? Looking for something new, edgy and a bit avant-garde to take your significant other out for a Valentine’s Day show? If you have a pulse and answered yes, then fear not for Hale’s Palladium (located behind Hale’s Brewery in Ballard) has just the show for you. Be forewarned, while this show is edgy and maniacally twisted, it is considered by its press release to be ‘family friendly’ but not geared to children under the age of 8. The show is “Frank Olivier’s Twisted Cabaret – My Twisted Valentine” and it is a bizarre hysterical assortment of entertaining vignettes ranging from juggling, unicycle riding, sleight of hand magic, cross-dressing, stilt walking, improv and several other exotic skills, complete with a live band which adds up to loads of laughs and one very memorable night for all in attendance.

It was a bitterly cold evening when I arrived at the show. Those of us standing in line outside were huddled together for warmth, as the winds chilled you to the bone. We eagerly pressed forward the moment they opened the house, just so we could get inside and recover the feeling in our fingers and toes. After a bit of a mix up where they were not sure exactly where to put me, I was finally seated off to the right of the stage at one of the small tables which were crowded about the stage. Behind me were several rows of seats, resembling something you might find at a high school football game. My drink sat precariously perched in front of me and I could not be sure if it was the floor, the table or both which were not level, but something was definitely off.